Alex Dahlen

Profile

Multi-faceted Infrastructure and Cybersecurity professional with deep experience spanning enterprise systems administration, security program ownership, and remote connectivity infrastructure. Proven track record of managing multi-site endpoints (Intune, SCCM), secure identity environments (Active Directory, Entra ID), and virtualized workloads while leading Zero Trust architecture initiatives. Exceptional cross-functional communicator skilled in driving technical operations, automated lifecycle management, and high-stakes incident response.

Experience

Wenger Corporation

Owatonna, MN

IT Infrastructure and Security Lead

Sep 2023 - Present

  • Own the enterprise security program end-to-end — directing tooling selection, policy governance, incident response planning, and identity/access provisioning architectures deployed company-wide.
  • Architected and enforced least-privilege access controls across managed endpoints using Microsoft Intune Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), eliminating standing local admin rights without disrupting operational workflows.
  • Serve as Incident Response Commander, directing cross-functional response teams and briefing C-suite on risk, impact, and remediation strategy while co-leading annual executive tabletop exercises.
  • Lead disaster recovery modernization achieving near-real-time RPO of five minutes and RTO under thirty minutes across primary and secondary data centers — a step-change reduction from legacy recovery windows.
  • Direct multi-site infrastructure and endpoint integration for acquired subsidiaries — deploying firewalls, switching, wireless, domain migrations, endpoint refreshes, and ISP transitions across new locations.
  • Improved organizational security posture by 7.5% as measured by annual S2Score validation (from 640 to 688), outperforming the manufacturing industry average of 600.
  • Manage enterprise security renewals, hardware lifecycle planning, and vendor relationships across endpoint protection, vulnerability management, and managed detection (MDR) services.
  • Zero Trust
  • Intune EPM
  • Incident Response
  • Disaster Recovery
  • Entra ID
  • FortiGate
  • 802.1X/NAC
  • MDR
  • Vendor Management
  • Tenable
  • IT Strategy
  • Governance

Systems Administrator

May 2022 - Sep 2023

  • Administered enterprise Windows and Citrix remote infrastructure supporting 250+ users across multiple facilities, including ~100 virtual machines across production, pilot, development, and administration environments totaling roughly 50TB of managed storage.
  • Designed and implemented PowerShell automation scripts, significantly reducing manual operational service overhead and improving daily system reliability.
  • Executed monthly patching, vulnerability remediation, and system maintenance cycles across production environments, endpoints, and servers.
  • Drove foundational network segmentation and Zero Trust initiatives that established the secure access baselines for future program expansion.
  • Led the HighJump Warehouse Management System upgrade, coordinating across IT, operations, and the vendor to minimize downtime impact on distribution workflows.
  • Citrix
  • PowerShell
  • Windows Server
  • Zero Trust
  • Network Segmentation
  • Patch Management
  • Automation
  • VMware
  • HighJump WMS

Freeborn County Minnesota

Albert Lea, MN

Systems Administrator

Jul 2020 - May 2022

  • Managed Windows server infrastructure for law enforcement and emergency response systems in a regulated public-sector environment requiring high availability and strict security controls.
  • Administered Active Directory, group policies, user permissions, SQL Server, IIS, SSL certificates, and file services supporting mission-critical county operations.
  • Built and deployed standardized workstation images using SCCM, accelerating employee onboarding, streamlining device setup, and reducing configuration drift.
  • Administered sole ownership and high-availability support for the WatchGuard digital evidence management system across multiple agencies — maintaining confidentiality, data governance, and secure access controls for 50TB of evidentiary data.
  • Resolved complex hardware, software, network, and access management troubleshooting requests under tight SLA expectations.
  • Active Directory
  • SCCM
  • Windows Server
  • High Availability
  • WatchGuard
  • Digital Evidence Management
  • SQL Server
  • SSL/PKI
  • Data Governance
  • Chain of Custody

Education

MBA in Information Technology Management

Southern New Hampshire University

May 2024 - Aug 2025

BS in Computer Information Systems

Neumont College of Computer Science

Sep 2016 - Aug 2019

Volunteering

First Responder

Hartland Fire Department — Hartland, MN

  • Certified Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) providing pre-hospital emergency care for a rural community of ~400 residents across Hartland and surrounding areas.
  • Responds to medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, and fire incidents as part of a volunteer department serving a rural community with limited emergency service coverage.
  • Applies ICS/NIMS incident command principles in live emergency response, directly reinforcing the calm, structured problem-solving and communication required in high-priority IT incidents and system outages.
photo of me
  • +1 507 402 5415
  • [email protected]
  • adahlen.ninja
  • linkedin.com/in/dahlenalex
  • github.com/Massiv3Troll
  • Owatonna, MN

Skills

    • Infrastructure, Cloud & Endpoints
    • Microsoft 365, Google Workspace & Cloud Collaboration
    • Microsoft Intune, Intune EPM & SCCM
    • Windows & macOS Endpoint Configuration & Lifecycle Management
    • Citrix (CVAD/MCS) & Remote Access Tools
    • Hybrid Cloud & Virtualization (VMware, Proxmox)
    • Multi-Site Network Integration & High Availability
      Cybersecurity & Risk
    • Zero Trust Architecture & Least-Privilege Enforcement
    • Identity & Access Management (Active Directory, Entra ID, PAM, MFA)
    • Firewalls, SD-WAN (FortiGate) & Network Segmentation
    • Vulnerability Management (Tenable) & Patch Deployment
    • Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR/MDR) & SIEM Monitoring
    • 802.1X Network Access Control (NAC) & DLP Policies
      Automation & Systems Control
    • PowerShell & Bash Scripting
    • Infrastructure as Code (IaC) & Python
    • REST API Integration & Git Version Control
    • Database Infrastructure (SQL Server) & IIS Configuration
    • Standardized Workstation Imaging & Configuration Drift Control
      Leadership & Governance
    • Incident Response Leadership (Incident Commander / ICS / NIMS)
    • IT Strategy, Budgeting & Roadmapping
    • Vendor & Third-Party Risk Management
    • Cybersecurity Governance & Compliance
    • IT Steering Committee Facilitation
    • Technical Communication & Cross-Functional Team Support